Automatic band applying machine and method



April 12, 1955 G. M. TRACY 2,706,073

AUTOMATIC BAND APPLYING MACHINE AND METHOD Original Filed March 19, 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 GLEN M. TRACY Gamay- 41 April 12, 1955 G. M. TRACY 2,705,073

AUTOMATIC BAND APPLYING MACHINE AND METHOD Original Filed March 19, 1947 s Sheets-Sheet 2 am am 644 839 G'LEN M. TRACY April 12, 1955 TRACY 2,706,073

AUTOMATIC BAND APPLYING MACHINE AND METHOD Original Filed March 19, 1947 e Shts-Sheet s GLEN M. TRACY I.

April 12, 1955 TRAcY 2,706,073

AUTOMATIC BAND APPLYING MACHINE AND METHOD Original Filed March 19, 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 GLEN M. TRACY APril 1955 G. M. TRACY Original Filed March 19, 1947 AUTOMATIC BAND APPLYING MACHINE AND METHOD 6 Shets-Sheet 5 April 12, 1955 G. M. TRACY 2,705,073

AUTOMATIC BAND APPLYING MACHINE AND METHOD Original Filed March 19, 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 "7' J 14 H ff/X .1940 899 v 900 4 9/4 L 79 s// L 897 977 V892 1 I I 9/3 1 550 .9/0 87 903 893 .9/5 5'3 882w aaz 597 GLEN M. TRACY 5% gm W p to be stacked with their fiat sides in contact.

United States Patent AUTOMATIC BAND APPLYING MACHINE AND METHOD Glen M. Tracy, Rockville Centre, N. Y., assignor to Wright Machinery Company, Durham, N. C., a corporation of North Carolina Original application March 19, 1947, Serial No. 735,696,

now Patent No. 2,630,260, dated March 3, 1953. Divided and this application August 9, 1951, Serial No, 241,071

16 Claims. (Cl. 226-80) This application is a division of the application of Glen M. Tracy and James C. Petrea, Serial No. 735,696, for Automatic Band Applying Machine and Method, filed March 19, 1947, now Patent No. 2,630,260, dated March 3, 1953.

This invention relates to an automatic band applying machine, and more particularly to an automatic machine for applying continuous bands or sleeves of wet regenerated cellulose material, or any other suitable material which contracts or shrinks upon dehydration, to the neck of a bottle or other container in such manner that the closure member of the bottle, that is, the cap or cork, cannot be removed without breaking the seal formed by the band.

The invention still further relates to a novel apparatus and method for removing wet bands in a flattened condition from a magazine, and for effecting the opening of such wet bands from a flattened condition into a condition to receive a band supporting element of a band applying mechanism.

Briefly, the machine embodying the principles of the present invention comprises a supply magazine in which bands of wet regenerated cellulose, or other suitable shrinkable material, in flattened condition, are adapted A band pickup head, connected with a source of sub-atmospheric pressure or vacuum, is arranged so that a suction pad carried thereby travels through a substantially triangular path, the base portion of said path requiring the suction pad to move forward to engage the foremost band in the stack and, preferably, to push back the entire stack in the magazine to a predetermined point, so that when the pickup head is raised it will always begin its upward movement from a predetermined position. The foremost band is gripped by the suction pad upon the application of vacuum thereto prior to its being raised and a foot, or stop, associated with the supply magazine is arranged adjacent the point of maximum forward travel of the pickup head so that it prevents all but the foremost band from being removed from the magazine. The upward movement of the pickup head removes the foremost band from the magazine, causing it to slide across the second band, which is constrained against removal by the aforementioned foot. The band thus removed is delivered by the pickup head to one arm of a transfer device Where it is clamped by a gripper lever carrying a pair of yieldably mounted blocks. The band transfer device is rotated intermittently in one direction by a Geneva mechanism, but is stationary at the time that the band pickup head delivers a hand thereto. After a band has been delivered to the band transfer device and gripped by a gripper lever, the suction is released on the band pickup head and it returns to its initial starting position. The band transfer device is then rotated to a stand-by position where it remains until a container or bottle is fed into the machine by a main container-supporting conveyor, all as described in said Patent No. 2,630,260.

An object of the invention is to provide an automatic machine which will apply preformed sealing bands to the closures of bottles or other containers at a high rate of speed.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel band pickup device and method for successively removing flattened bands of wet regenerated cellulose,

or other self-contractible material, from a supply magazine one at a time.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel band-opening device and method for opening a wet band of regenerated cellulose material, or other material, from a flat condition into a substantially circular condition.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for holding a band in at least a partially open condition for the reception of a moving band support.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in section showing the band pickup head and supply magazine with the band pickup head in its fully retracted position;

Fig. 2 is a view partly in section illustrating the band pickup head after it has been fully advanced forwardly and is being moved upwardly in said advanced position to remove a band from the supply magazine for delivery to the band transfer mechanism;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2 illustrating the position of the Geneva mechanism corresponding to that of the band transfer device shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view through the stationary and movable suction heads for effecting opening of a band delivered thereto by the band transfer device;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view through the band-opening heads taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a view of the suction pad on the movable band-openinghead, as seen on the line 7-7 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a view of the suction pad on the stationary band-opening head, as viewed on the line 8-8 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 9 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 10 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 10-10 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 11 is a view partly in section showing the mechanism for effecting movement of the movable bandopening head toward and away from the stationary bandopening head, said mechanism being shown holding a band in a full open condition with a mandrel inserted in the open band; a

Fig. 12 is an elevational view of the band-opening mechanism, as viewed along the line 12-12 of Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is a sectional view taken on the line 13-13 of Fig. 11;

Figs. 14 to 16 are partial sectional views diagrammatically illustrating successive steps in the method of opening the band.

The type of band X of wet regenerated cellulose material applied by the present machine to the necks of bottles or other containers is illustrated in its normally flat condition in Figs. 1, 5, 6, 14 and 15. These bands may be plain or bear any desired identifying indicia or advertisement (not shown). A stack of the wet bands X is manually placed in a feed magazine generally identified by the numeral 630. The feed magazine 630 is supported upon a base 631 adjustably mounted upon the cover plate 484 of a gear housing of the machine described in said patent by three cap screws 632. The base 631 includes a top wall inclined on an angle of about 30 with respect to the horizontal and bulbous enlargements 634 and 635 are formed upon said wall. A movable bracket 636 has studs 637 secured thereto which are guided in suitable bushings mounted in the enlargements 634 and 635. The lower ends of the studs 637 are threaded for the reception of adjusting nuts (not shown) and compression springs (not shown) surround said studs and are located between the nuts and the bushings. The action of the springs constantly tends to draw the bracket 636 toward the base 631.

Adjustment of the bracket 636 relative to the base 631 is effected by a threaded stem 642, the upper end of which is fastened by a pin 643 to the bracket 636. Thestem 642 extends through an opening in the inclined wall and terminates in a reduced portion (not shown). A knurled nut 646 is threaded on the stem 642 and the lower face thereof engages a boss 647 on the upper surface of the inclined wall. Inasmuch as the stern 642 is prevented from turning by the pin 643, rotation of the nut 646 will cause the bracket 636 to be moved either toward or away from the base 631, depending upon the direction in which said nut is turned. A knurled head 658 may be manipulated to clamp the stem 642 and bracket 636 in adjusted position, by mechanism not shown here.

The band pickup mechanism is generally identified by the numeral 730. This mechanism comprises a lever 731 which is pivotally mounted upon a pin 732 carried by a bifurcated bracket 733 secured to the under side of the cover plate 484 of the gear housing. The lower end of the lever 731 has a roller 735 secured thereto by a pin 736. The roller 735 engages with the periphery of the cam 580, which is mounted upon the shaft 569. The upper portion of the lever 731 extends through an opening 737 in the cover plate 484 and is pivotally connected by a pin 738 with a rearward projection 739 formed integral with a carriage guide 740. The carriage guide 740 includes parallel rails 741, each provided with a track 742 (see Fig. 3), the rails 741 being interconnected by the projection 739 at a point spaced from the lower end thereof and being connected adjacent their upper ends by a transverse web 743. Each of the rails 741 is pivotally connected with the upper end of a link 744 by studs 745. The lower end of each of the links 744 is pivotally connected to a bracket 746 by studs 747. The brackets 746 are arranged along opposite sides of the opening 737 and are secured to the cover plate 484 of the gear housing by cap screws 748.

A carriage 749 is arranged between the rails 741 and has two rollers 750 (see Fig. 3) secured to each of the sides thereof by studs 751. The rollers 750 ride in the tracks 742 so that said carriage is reciprocable in the carriage holder 740. The lower end of the carriage 749 is slotted as indicated at 752 and is pivotally connected by a pin 753 with the upper end of a link 754. The lower end of the link 754 is connected by a stud 755 to the cam 580 and serves as a crank pin to effect reciprocation of the carriage 749 in its guide 740. A pin 740 is mounted on the projection 739 and one end of a tension spring 740 is connected thereto. The opposite end of the spring 740 is connected to a pin 740 mounted on a bracket 831. The spring 740 acts to maintain the roller 735 in contact with the periphery of the cam 580 and to effect retraction of the holder 740 as permitted by said cam.

The carriage 749 has an integral forward extension or band pickup head 756 provided with flanges 757 on the opposite sides thereof. A rubber suction pad 758 is provided with side flanges 759 and is cemented to the end face 760 of the head 756. The plates 761 overlie the flanges 759, and cap screws 762 extend through said plates and the flanges 759 of the rubber pad 758 and into threaded openings 763 in the flanges 757 to tightly clamp the pad 758 against the face 760 of said head.

The suction pad 758 has a plurality of passageways 764 opening on the outer face 765 thereof, said passageways being countersunk at said face to increase the area of effectiveness of said suction pad. The passageways 764 communicate at their inner ends with a chamber 761 which in turn is connected through pipe 769 to a suitable source of vacuum. The line 769 is controlled by a valve (not shown here) operated in timed relation to the operation of the machine to establish communication between the chamber 761 and the source of vacuum when the parts are in the position of Fig. 3 to thereby grip the foremost flattened band X. Thereafter the cam 580 is operated to cause the head 730 to Withdraw the band from the magazine and move the same upwardly between fingers 846 and 851 of the transfer head 825. Thereafter the suction is released and cam 842 is rotated by the machine drive to cause finger 851 to grip the band between itself and finger 846, as indicated in Fig. 14. Thereafter the transfer head 825 is rotated by means of Geneva gear 860 to position the band adjacent the band opening mechanism to be described.

All of the mechanism shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 is clearly and fully described in said Patent No. 2,630,260 and the reference numerals appearing in these figures are identical to those appearing in said patent. Reference is made to said patent for a detailed description of the structure and operation of the band withdrawing means and the transfer head.

The foremost band X will thus have been delivered to the transfer head 825 and be held by the gripper lever 839 for transfer by said head upon rotation of the Geneva wheel 860 through an angle of to a position between a stationary band-opening head 879 (Fig. 5) and a movable band-opening head 899, but at a time when the latter is in a retracted position. The heads 879 and 899 carry suction pads 874 and 875, respectively. The pad 874 is preferably made of rubber and includes an oblongshaped body portion 876, which is surrounded at one end by a continuous flange 877. The inner face of the pad 874 is cemented to a face 878 of the band-opening head 879. A clamping plate 880, which is recessed to receive the oblong portion 876 is secured to the bandopening head 879 by countersunk screws 881 and engages the flange 877 to clamp the pad 874 against the face 878 of said head. The pad 874 is provided with a single vertical row of passages 882, all of which are countersunk or enlarged at their outer ends. In addition, the lowermost passage 882 communicates with a groove 882 that extends downwardly therefrom to the lower edge of the oblong portion 876 of the pad 874, as best shown in Fig. 8. This groove plays a very important part in effecting opening of the bands, as will be explained later. The passages 882 communicate at their inner ends with an elongated recess 883 (Figs. 5 and 6) formed in the face 878. The recess 883 communicates with a passage 884, which has a conventional fitting 885 mounted therein for connecting a tube 886 to the head 879. The tube 886 is connected to a source of vacuum through a control valve, as fully described in Patent No. 2,630,260.

Referring to Figs. 5, 6 and 10, the band-opening head 879 has a rearward extension 892 provided with a rib 893. The rib 893 rides in a groove 894 formed on a lateral extension 895 of the bracket 831, which contains the bushing 830 for the hollow Geneva shaft 827. The head 879 is provided with an elongated slot 896 and cap screws 897 extend through said slot for adjustably securing said head to the bracket extension 895. Thus, the head 879 may be adjusted so that the outer face of the rubber pad 874 is in close proximity to a band delivered thereto by the transfer head 825. The metal tubing 886 is sufficiently flexible to permit bending thereof for any necessary adjustment of the band-opening head 879.

The rubber pad 875 is generally similar in construction to the rubber pad 874, and is cemented to a face 898 of the movable band-opening head 899. The pad 875 is clamped against the face 898 by a clamping plate 900, similar to the clamping plate 880, mounted upon the movable band-opening head 899 by countersunk screws 901. An elongated recess 902 is cut into the face 898 and communicates with the inner end of a single vertical row of passages 903 formed in the pad 875, said passages being flared or enlarged at their outer ends. The recess 902 communicates with a passageway 904 having a conventional fitting 905 mounted therein.

The fitting 905 secures one end of a metal tube 906 to i the band-opening head 899 and its opposite end is connected to the same source of vacuum as tube 886 so that suction can be simultaneously applied to both rubber pads 874 and 875.

The movable band-opening head 899 is pivotally mounted upon a pin 910 carried by the slotted end of a plunger 911. A set screw 912 carried by the band-opening head 899 serves the dual purpose of retaining the pin 910 in place and holding said head in assembled relation with the plunger 911. The band-opening head 899 has a forked extension 913 for the reception of a bolt 914 mounted on the plunger 911. A compression spring 915 surrounds the bolt 914 and is interposed between the extension 913 and the head 916 of said bolt. The pivotal mounting of the band-opening head 899 is such that the face of the suction pad 875 is slightly inclined with respect to the vertical when said head is in its retracted position, as is best shown in Fig. 11. This particular mounting means enables the band-opening head 899 to perform a very important function in effecting opening of the bands, as will be pointed out in detail later.

The plunger 911 has two pairs of depending lugs 920 and 921 (Fig. 11). One end of a lever 922 is pivotally connected by a pin 923 with the lugs 920, and the opposite end of said lever has a roller 924 secured thereto by a stud 925, and engages with the cam 603, which, as described in said patent, is fastened to the shaft 598. A bracket 926 is secured to the front wall of the gear housing described in said patent by cap screws 927. The lever 922 is fulcrumed intermediate its length upon a pin 928 mounted on the bracket 926. A link 929 is pivotally connected at the lower end thereof to a pin 930 carried by the bracket 926 and arranged parallel with the pin 928. The upper end of the link 929 is pivotally connected With the lugs 921 of the plunger 911 by a pin 931. The pins 923-928 and 931930 are spaced the same distance apart so that the lever 922 and the link 929 provide a parallel linkage supporting the plunger 911 carrying the movable band-opening head 899.

An arm 932 is fastened at one end thereof to the pin 930 and its opposite end carries a stud 933. The stud 933 is connected to one end of a tension spring 934. and the opposite end of said spring is connected to a stationary part of the machine (not shown). The action of the spring 934 is such that it continuously tends to urge the movable band-opening head 899 toward the stationary band-opening head 879, and to also urge the roller 924 into contact with the cam 603.

The cam 603 (Figs. 11 and 12) includes a low surface 603* constituting a dwell extending through an angle of 90 and a high surface 603 constituting another dwell extending through an angle of 150. The dwells 603 and 603 are interconnected by rises 603 and 603. When the dwell 603 is opposite the roller 924, the roller 924 is not engaged by said dwell and hence the parallel linkage 922-929 is actuated for movement toward the stationary band-opening head 879 solely by the tension in the spring 934. However, as the cam rotates, the inclined portion 603 engages the roller 924 to positively retract the plunger 911 and as said roller rides onto the dwell 603 the plunger 911 is positively held in its fully retracted position against the force of the spring 934, as shown in Fig. 11. The cam surface 603*, when it engages the roller 924, will permit the plunger 911 carrying the movable band-opening head 899 to again move toward a band held by the transfer head 825 and positioned in front of the stationary band-opening head 879, under the action of the spring 934. When the cam surface 603 is again opposite the roller 924, the plunger 911 will have completed its cycle of movement.

The application of suction to the band-opening heads 879 and 899 is controlled by the valve 774, not shown here but fully described in Patent No. 2,630,260 in connection with the vacuum control of the band pickup head 756.

That valve operates to cut olf the application of vacuum to both of the band-opening heads 879 and 899 at a time when said band-opening heads are holding a band X in an open position, as shown in Fig. 11. Thereafter the valve is operated to connect the heads 879 and 899 with the atmosphere so that vacuum is no longer eifective on the suction pads 874 and 875, and the band X previously held thereby is released. A mandrel will have been inserted into the band X while it was held open, as described in the aforementioned patent, so that said band can be moved forward by said mandrel when the suction in the pads 874 and 875 is released. The band thus opened and carried forward is replaced by another band delivered to the band-opening heads 879 and 899 by the transfer device 825. The movable bandopening head 899 is then moved toward the second hand and the aforesaid valve 774 operated to communicate vacuum to pads 874 and 875 for gripping and effecting opening of the second band.

It will be apparent from the description in Patent No. 2,630,260 that the timing of the movements of the transfer head 825 by the Geneva wheel 860 relative to the timing of the cam 603 is such that a band will be delivered in position between the band-opening heads 879 and 899 prior to the positioning of the cam portion 603*- opposite the roller 924 to permit the head 899 to move toward the head 879. It will be further apparent that the timing of the operation of valve 774 is such that vacuum is applied to the band-opening heads 879 and 899 at the opposite sides of the band prior to the release of the band from the transfer head 825 at the band-opening station. It will be still further apparent that the rise 603 of the cam 603 does not start to move the bandopening head 899 away from the head 879 until after the band has been released from the transfer head, at which time suction will be effective through the conduit 886 for causing the opposite sides of the band to be held against the adjacent faces of the suction pads 874 and 875. While suction is thus effective, the surface 603 will engage the roller 924 and actuate the parallel linkage 922929 to move the plunger 911 carrying the movable band-opening head 899 in a direction away from the stationary band-opening head 879, to thereby open the band from a flat condition to a substantially circular condition.

The successful opening of wet bands of regenerated cellulose material presented a difficult problem that has been solved by the present invention and, hence, the critical steps in the method of effecting opening of such bands will be described in detail. Figs. l4, l5, and 16 of the drawings diagrammatically illustrate the manner in which initial opening of the band is effected. In each of these views, the inclination of the movable bandopening head 899 with respect to the plunger 911 has been greatly exaggerated in order to facilitate illustration.

Fig. 14 diagrammatically illustrates that portion of the cycle in which the band X is positioned in front of the stationary band-opening head 879 by the transfer head 825 and wherein the suction pads 874 and 875 are in communication with the source of vacuum. It will be noted that the suction pad 874 has gripped one side S of the band X and that a portion S" of said side along the lower edge thereof has been drawn into the groove 882". This el'fects a cracking of the band X and conditions the same for ready opening. It will also be noted that although suction is effective in the pad 875, it has not yet contacted the other side S of the band X Fig. 15 diagrammatically illustrates the pivotal movement of the band-opening head 899 upon engagement of the pad 875 with the side S of the band X It will be noted that the forked portion 913 of the band-opening head 899 has been moved away from the plunger 911, thereby effecting slight compression of the spring 915. It should also be noted at this point that the strength of the spring 934 (Fig. 11) urging the movable band-opening head 899 toward the stationary band-opening head 879 is much greater than that of the compression spring 915, so that the head 899 can pivot with limited freedom about the pin 910 while the spring 934 is urging the head 899 toward said band. As the pad 875 engages the side S of the band X the side S may slide very slightly relative to the side S and thereby lessen the adhesion of the inner surfaces of said band, but this is not absolutely essential to the successful opening of the band and occurs more or less as an incident to the normal operation of the parallel linkage 922-929 employed for reciprocating the plunger 911. As is shown in Fig. 15, the band X is free of the transfer head 825 and both sides S and S of the band X are now gripped by the suction pads 874 and 875, respectively. Retraction of the movable band-opening head 899 is now effectted, as previously explained, upon the engagement of the inclined cam surface 603 of the cam 603 with the roller 924. Accordingly, as the cam surface 603 overcomes the tension of the spring 934 and starts to positively move the band-opening head 899 away from the head 879, the spring 915 will immediately cause the forked portion 913 of said movable head 899 to engage the under side of the plunger 911 and in this manner eifect clockwise pivotal movement of said movable band-opening head about the pin 910 before actual retraction occurs. The result of such action of the spring 915 is diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 16, wherefrom it will be apparent that the band X starts to open from the lower edge thereof as the side S is moved away from the side S, and that the separation of the inner surfaces of the band sides S and S occurs progressively from the lower edge of the band toward the top edge. Continued retraction of the band-opening head 899 from the position shown in Fig. 16 will eventually result in said head taking the position indicated in Fig. 11, wherein the band X is shown in its fully open, substantially circular condition. Thus, it will be clear that the gap initially formed by cracking the band at S, as indicated in Fig. 14, is progressively expanded by a sort of peeling action separating the sides S and S from each other beginning at the lower edge of the band X and moving toward the upper edge of said band, and that this method readily overcomes the inherent adhesion of the sides of the wet band so that the band can be readily and quickly opened.

At about the time that the band X is in its fully open position, a mandrel generally identified by the numeral 940, fully described in the aforementioned patent.

It is to be understood that the details of construction and the relative arrangement of the parts can be varied without departing from the principles of the invention or the scope of the annexed claims.

I claim:

1. A band-opening mechanism, comprising: a first head having a suction pad thereon including a face engageable with one side of a band throughout substantially the full length of said band; a second head having a suction pad thereon including a face similarly engageable with the opposite side of said band; means pivotally supporting at least one of said heads so that the face thereof is normally slightly inclined to the face of the other head; resilient means urging said one head about its pivotal support in one direction to said inclined position and yieldably opposing pivotal movement thereof in the other direction; and means for moving at least one of said heads toward and away from the other to effect opening of said band.

2. A band-opening mechanism, comprising: a first head having a suction pad thereon including a face engageable with one side of a band; a second head having a suction pad thereon including a face engageable with the opposite side of said band, each of said suction pads having a plurality of passages opening at one end on the face thereof, and adapted to have the opposite end thereof connected with a source of suction, at least one of said pads also having a groove formed in the face thereof communicating with one of said passages and extending from said one passage to one marginal edge of said pad; and means for moving at least one of said heads toward and away from the other.

3. A band-opening mechanism, comprising: a first head having a suction pad thereon including a face engageable with one side of a band; a second head having a suction pad thereon including a face engageable with the opposite side of said band, each of said suction pads having a plurality of passages opening at one end on the face thereof, and adapted to have the opposite end thereof connected with a source of suction, at least one of said pads also having a groove formed in the face thereof communicating with the lowermost passage thereof and extending downwardly therefrom to the lower side of said pad; means pivotally supporting at least one of said heads so that the face thereof is normally inclined at a slight acute angle to a plane perpendicular to the path of movement of said head; and means for moving one of said heads toward and away from the other to effect opening of said band.

4. A band-opening mechanism, comprising: a first head having a suction pad thereon engageable with one side of a flat band throughout substantially the full height of said band; a fixed support; means securing said first head to said fixed support; a second head having a suction pad thereon similarly engageable with the opposite side of said fiat band; a movable member mounted for movement toward and from said fixed support; means pivotally supporting said second head on said movable member about an axis transverse to said direction of movement; resilient means urging said second head about its pivotal support in one direction to position its face at a slight angle to the face of said one movable member and yieldably opposing pivotal movement of said head in the other direction on said supporting means; and means connected with said movable member for moving said second head toward and away from said first head to effect opening of said band.

5. The method of opening a flat band, comprising the steps of: immovably gripping the outer surfaces of the opposite sides of a flat band only in a relatively narrow zone medially of and spaced substantially from the folded side edges of said band; and then progressively separating said sides along said zone beginning at one of the ends of said band and working toward the opposite end thereof.

6. The method of opening a flat, wet band, comprising the steps of: immovably gripping the outer surfaces of the opposite sides of a flat band only in a relatively narrow zone medially of and spaced substantially from the folded sides of said flat band and extending substantially from end-to-end of said band; drawing an end portion of one side of said band at one end of said zone outwardly out of the normal plane of said one side; and then peeling one side of said band away from the other beginning at said one end and moving the sides of said band apart until the band assumes a generally circular shape.

7. The method of opening a flat band, comprising the steps of: immovably gripping the outer surfaces of the opposite sides of a fiat band only in a relatively narrow zone medially of and spaced a substantial distance from the folded side edges of said band; moving one side of said band away from the other by first moving the edge of one of said bands, at one end of said band, away from the adjacent edge of the other to form a gap; and then progressively increasing the height of said gap and moving the sides of said band apart until the band assumes a generally circular shape.

8. The method of opening a flat band, comprising the steps of: immovably gripping the outer surfaces of the opposite sides of a flat band; drawing a relatively small portion of one side of said band at one end edge thereof and between the folded side edges thereof outwardly out of the normal plane of said one side to form an opening between said sides; and then gradually increasing the size of said opening between the sides of said band beginning at said edge and working toward the other end edge.

9. The method of opening a flat, wet band, comprising the steps of: immovably gripping the outer surfaces of the opposite sides of a flat, wet band in a relatively narrow zone medially of and spaced substantially from the folded side edges thereof; sliding one of the sides of the band thus gripped relative to the other side; and then moving the medially gripped portion of at least one of the sides of said band away from the other to open said band while still being gripped.

10. The method of opening a banding sleeve made of flexible material in a wet tenacious condition and having the inner surfaces of opposed walls flattened into face to face contact, comprising the step of applying suction to oppositely disposed flat exterior surfaces of said sleeve to an area confined within edge portions of said sleeve while holding the major portions of said surfaces in flat planar condition, simultaneously applying suction to a small edge portion of at least one of said exterior surfaces beyond the aforementioned area while continuing to hold the major portions of said surfaces in flat planar condition, resulting in peeling of said small edge portion away from the corresponding edge portion, whereby to initiate opening of said sleeve, and thereafter directly pulling said opposed walls apart.

11. A band-opening mechanism, comprising: a suction pad including a face engageable with one side of a band; a second suction pad including a face engageable with the opposite side of said band, each of said suction pads having a plurality of passages opening at one end on the face thereof, and adapted to have the opposite end thereof connected with a source of suction, at least one of said pads also having a groove formed in the face thereof communicating with one of said passages and extending from said one passage to one marginal edge of said pad; and means for moving at least one of said suction pads toward and away from the other.

12. A band-opening mechanism, comprising: a first head including a face engageable with one side of a band; a second head including a face engageable with the opposite side of said band, each of said heads having a plurality of passages opening at one end on the face thereof and adapted to have the opposite end thereof connected with a source of suction, at least one of said heads also having a groove formed in the face thereof communicating with one of said passages and extending from said one passage to one marginal edge of said head; and means for moving at least one of said heads toward and away from the other.

13. In a device for applying banding sleeves to containers, a pair of suction heads for engagement respectively with the exterior surfaces of opposed walls of a banding sleeve in flattened form with the inner surfaces of opposed walls thereof in face-to-face contact, said suction heads having substantially planar opposed surfaces each provided with a plurality of suction apertures, at least one of said suction heads having a relatively small depression having a suction aperture therein and formed in an edge of its planar surface for displacing an edge portion of one of said banding sleeve walls; and

means for moving said suction heads apart whereby to open said banding sleeve.

14. A band-opening mechanism, comprising: a first head engageable with one side of a flat band through substantially the full height of said flat band; a fixed support; means securing said first head to said fixed support; a second head similarly engageable with the opposite side of said fiat band; a movable member; means pivotally supporting said second head on said movable member; resilient means urging said second head about its pivotal support in one direction to position its face at a slight angle to the face of said first head yieldably opposing pivotal movement of said head in the other direction on said supporting means; and means connected with said movable member for moving said second head toward and away from said first head to elfect opening of said band.

15. The method of opening a banding sleeve made of flexible material in a wet tenacious condition and having the inner surfaces of opposed walls flattened into faceto-face contact comprising applying suction to oppositely disposed exterior surfaces of said sleeve while holding the major portion of said surfaces in fiat planar condition, applying suction to a small edge portion of at least one of said exterior surfaces while continuing to 25 hold the major portion of said one surface in flat planar condition to peel a corresponding small edge portion of said inner surfaces apart, whereby to initiate opening of said sleeve, and thereafter directly pulling said opposed walls apart.

16. A band-opening mechanism, comprising: a first head including a face engageable with one side of a band; a second head including a face engageable with the opposite side of said band, each of said heads having passage means adapted to have one end thereof con nected with a source of suction for opening a band when disposed between said faces, at least one of said heads also have a groove formed therein and communicating with the passage means thereof and extending to at least one marginal edge of said head; and means for moving at least one of said heads toward and away from the other.

References Cited in the file of this patent 

